Holly Holm Taking a Break and Then It’s Back to the Business of Winning

Earlier this month, top women’s 135-pound prospect Holly Holm won her fourth fight of the year and sixth overall with a three-round decision over Angela Hayes in Albuquerque, N.M.

Having never gone a full three rounds in her MMA career before, Holm feels the fight was a great experience and a good way to close out a successful year.

“There are a lot of things I wish I would have believed in a little more and gone with, but I’m really glad for the fight being in every position possible,” she said. “We were on ground a little bit, the clinch a little bit, standing up a little bit, so I really feel like I learned a lot from this fight.”

After a successful boxing career, Holm has quickly become one of the most buzzed about fighters in MMA, and she’s felt the accelerated pace of capitalizing on it.

“It’s probably been my most crazy year; a whirlwind of a year,” said Holm. “Just between February and May, I was already thinking I was done with boxing because I just wasn’t feeling it anymore and so I retired from boxing and went back to MMA.

“It’s been a lot of emotion and a lot of decision making, actually. It’s been crazy and I’m definitely ready to do my own thing and take a little bit of a mental break and take a deep breath.”

Following a long wanted break, Holm told MMAWeekly.com that if things work out, she should return to the cage sometime early next year.

“I have two fights left on my Legacy FC contract and I think we’re talking about a fight in March and it might be a five-round fight, but nothing’s been signed or set in stone really,” she said.

“I’m just kind of following the lead of my promoter/manager and let him take the reins on that because I just prefer to stay in the gym training and not get involved in all the business aspect of it.”

Even though she’s not sure exactly when she’ll return and against whom, Holm intends to make the most of things in 2014.

“All I’m thinking of is my next fight,” said Holm. “And I can’t lose, because with each fight it’s a make or break thing. You’re either going to open doors or close them.

“So firstly, I want to keep winning; and secondly, I don’t want all this to be for nothing and not take advantage and make the best of opportunities I’ve been given.”